Before you set off
Today's snapshot
Summerleaze surfs best from low to mid tide, and the breakwater shelters the southern corner. The sea pool is at its calmest around low water and should be avoided for about an hour and a half either side of high tide, when waves break over the wall.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Summerleaze car park sits directly behind the beach and is the obvious place to start. It is a Cornwall Council car park, a couple of minutes from the sand and the sea pool.
- Parking: Cornwall Council's large Summerleaze car park is right behind the beach and takes card and contactless payment. Check the signs on arrival for current charges.
- Dog rules: Dogs welcome year-round on Summerleaze. Lead required between 21 May and 30 September, 10am - 6pm (Cornwall Council PSPO: lead-only rule, not a ban). Off-lead permitted before 10am and after 6pm during this period, and any time outside these dates.
- Lifeguards: RNLI lifeguards patrol Summerleaze through a long season from the Easter holidays into late October, and Bude also has an RNLI lifeboat station on the beach.
- Sea pool: Bude Sea Pool is free, open all year and looked after by the Friends of Bude Sea Pool. There is no lifeguard cover outside the summer season.
Get in the water
Hire & lessons
Bude has a deep surf history, and lessons and hire are easy to arrange from the beach or the town.
Big Blue Surf School
Lessons and hire operating from a base in the Summerleaze car park.
Bude Surfing Experience
A Surfing England approved school teaching at Summerleaze and Widemouth Bay.
Zuma Jay Surf Shop
One of the longest-established surf shops in the country, a short walk from the beach.
After the beach
Eat, drink & stay
The beach, the sea pool and the town all sit within a few minutes of each other.
Life's a Beach
A family-run cafe and restaurant on Summerleaze with a view straight down the beach.
The Beach at Bude
A small hotel, bar and restaurant looking out over Summerleaze.
Friends of Bude Sea Pool
The charity that maintains the sea pool, with live conditions and how to support the pool.
Local perspective
Local notes
Summerleaze works well as a town beach. You can park, swim, get a coffee and walk the canal towpath without moving the car, and the breakwater gives the southern corner some shelter when the open coast is rough.
The sea pool is the reason many people come. It fills on the rising tide and is at its best in the hours around low water - go near high tide and the Atlantic breaks straight over the wall. It is free, open all year and maintained by a charity, so drop something in the donation box on your way past.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is Bude beach dog friendly?
Dogs welcome year-round on Summerleaze. Lead required between 21 May and 30 September, 10am - 6pm (Cornwall Council PSPO: lead-only rule, not a ban). Off-lead permitted before 10am and after 6pm during this period, and any time outside these dates.
When can you swim in Bude Sea Pool?
The pool is open all year and free to use. It is safest in the hours around low water, and should be avoided for roughly an hour and a half either side of high tide when waves break over the wall.
What's the best tide for Bude?
Low to mid tide gives the best surf on Summerleaze, and low water is also the calmest time in the sea pool.
Where do you park for Summerleaze beach?
Cornwall Council's Summerleaze car park sits directly behind the beach and the sea pool.
Are there lifeguards at Bude?
Yes. RNLI lifeguards patrol Summerleaze through a long season from the Easter holidays into late October, and there is an RNLI lifeboat station on the beach.
Is it safe to swim at Bude today?
Check the Environment Agency Swimfo profile and Safer Seas & Rivers Service before swimming, and swim between the red and yellow flags.
Is Bude beach pram or buggy friendly?
Summerleaze car park sits directly behind the beach and sea pool, giving a short, mostly level approach to the waterfront. The soft sand itself remains hard work for prams and wheelchairs.
What facilities are available at Bude?
Summerleaze has public toilets in the car park, which sits directly behind the beach. RNLI lifeguards patrol seasonally, and the RNLI lifeboat station is on the beach. The sea pool is free and open all year, while cafés and restaurants line the seafront.
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